Maundy Thursday: The Wrong Position

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus constantly did things that made His disciples uncomfortable. He taught parables that confused them. He slept through storms, leaving them to wonder if He cared about them. He offended religious leaders, making His followers a target of contempt. He even told them to eat His flesh and drink His blood. (That one really thinned the crowd.) Jesus had a habit of making His disciples uncomfortable in order to present a better way, the kingdom way. This is certainly true of Maundy Thursday, the day we commemorate Jesus washing the disciples feet.

John 13 describes the details: “[Jesus] rose from supper and laid aside His garment, took a towel and girded Himself” (v. 4). Before He washes their feet, Jesus indicates that He is taking a lowly position by adorning Himself like a servant. He removes the garment that keeps Him from serving, and He equips Himself with the towel that will meet His disciples’ needs. Then, He puts His intentions into action by actually washing their feet: “After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded” (v. 5).

Just like so many other moments with Jesus, this makes His disciples rather uncomfortable. Peter asks in objection, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” (v. 6). As Jesus continues to do it, Peter then exclaims, “You shall never wash my feet!” (v. 8). It doesn’t sit well with Peter that His Master acts like servant. Furthermore, He’s not just acting like a servant in general, but His is actually serving Peter himself–not just by setting the table or pouring the wine, but by handling his dirty feet. Kneeling down before Peter is certainly the wrong position for Jesus. Isn’t it?

Of course, Jesus eventually explains what He is doing. He is modeling what authority looks like in the kingdom of God, and it is in stark contrast with authority in the world around them. In Luke 22:25, 27, He explains, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them . . . . Yet I am among you as the One who serves.” This model of leadership is the one He expects them to adopt themselves: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14, 15). Like Jesus, leaders in God’s kingdom remove every barrier that keeps them from serving, and they equip themselves to meet others’ needs.

However, Jesus didn’t wash their feet only to model something for them. There was a deeper motivation in His heart than just an object lesson. The beginning of John 13 shows us what it was, explaining that “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (v. 1). It was His love for them that drove Him to become a servant and remove the filth that kept them from rest. It was His love for them that compelled Him to an uncomfortable action that was for their ultimate good.

This John 13 motivation drives Him all the way to the cross. Like so many other actions of Jesus, the cross makes us uncomfortable. It’s the wrong position for a King. It’s the wrong position for a sinless, righteous Man. Like Peter, we may be tempted to say, “No, Lord!” And yet, He takes the lowly place. He removes His garments. He girds Himself, but this time with a cross rather than a towel. He pours something out–not water to wash our feet, but blood to wash our hearts. Why does He do such a deed? The John 13 motivation rings true: He loved us to the end.

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Devotional by Pastor Micah Wood